Power Rangers Virtual Force: The series
by MrQuinn
Summary: Months after defeating the ulimate evil, former rangers try to piece their lives back together... but none of them are aware of the dangers that lay ahead.
1. Effect and Cause

**_Disclaimer:_** _Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. If I do, I promise to donate the money to one of those foundations that prevent animal cruelty. By the way, no animals were harmed in the production of this series… well, except that gerbil, but hes fine now. I swear._

**_A/N:_** _This takes place a few months after Power Rangers Virtual Force. While it's designed for you to be able to read it without reading the first one, it wouldn't hurt to brush up on your history before checking this one out. Remember, an extended version of this chapter will be avaliable at Rangerfiction . net on 11/3/06._

* * *

**Reefside, California August, 2023 AD**

* * *

Helix Ranger leaned up against the wall of the building, or at least what was left of it, trying to avoid the laser fire. The building was, at most, a partially standing wall, but it gave him a moment to catch his breath. The patrol drones had been following him for a little over two hundred kilometers, each of them with a tracking device and lasers on their highest setting. 

It was dark, and that combined with the smoke in the air, it made for good cover as he reached in his belt, removing another clip and loading it into his weapon. The distinct humming sound of the patrol drones moved closer, but he remained perfectly still, hoping they would simply pass over him.

No luck.

One of the drones fired, hitting what was left of the wall and destroying it. The blast was enough to knock him forward, but he quickly rolled over onto his back, aiming his weapon and firing at the drone. The drone exploded, but no sooner than what was left of it hit the ground, four more drones surrounded him. Each of them was close to six feet tall with metallic armor of some kind. Instead of eyes, there was simply a long, red line, which he speculated was a scanning device of some kind. It that was the case, it would have explained how they were able to see him even through the smoke.

"Surrender ranger, we have you surrounded," one of the drones said in a low, monotone metallic voice.

"Drop you weapon and you will not be killed," another added.

Helix Ranger dropped his weapons and raised his arms, complying with their demands. One of the drones approached him, ready to take him into custody, but Helix Ranger spun around him, snapping it's neck and snatching off the head in the process. Another drone fired, but the ranger used the body of the fallen drone like a shield, reflecting it. He quickly leaned down, picking up his weapon and firing at the third drone, catching it in the shoulder. It's arm fell to the ground, and before it could make a move, Helix Ranger rushed in with a heel kick, taking it down. The final drone reached for a sword, standing in front of the ranger.

"You will regret that," it warned him.

Helix Ranger reached behind his back, pulling out a sword of his own. "You think so?" he paused. "Red Chrono saber!" he called out.

The drone charged at him, but he managed to block it, spin around and shoved his saber into the drone's stomach, then snatched it upwards, ripping the drone in half. As each part of the drone fell to the either side, they exploded, leaving Helix Ranger standing surrounded by the remains of the drones.

"Well, so much for that," he said.

"_Don't do a victory dance yet, I'm reading another platoon of drones converging on your area. You need to get out of there,"_ a voice said.

Helix Ranger reached for his morpher. "Let them come. I'll deal!"

"_Stop trying to play the hero and get back here. Do you have the device?"_

"Yeah, I've got it, but…"

"_No buts, just get it back here,"_ the voice said. "_And while you're there, grab a memory chip from one of the drones. It'll give us the heads up on what _

He sighed. "Fine, spoil my fun. I'll be there in a minute," he said.

He pushed a button on his morpher, and within seconds, he disappeared in a stream of light.

* * *

He materialized in Hayley's Cyber Space. It was once a safe place for teens to come and study, to use computers and to socialize with one another, but over the years that changed. After countless battles with drones, attacks from various enemies, there wasn't much left of the café at all. One of the walls had been completely destroyed, and most of the roof was gone. There were laser burns and stained blood along the walls that were still standing, and most of the major equipment in the café had been too badly damaged to use anymore. 

He removed his helmet, tucking it under his arm as he made his way through the remains of the café, walking into Hayley's lab.

"Freeze!" a voice said.

Before he could move, there was a disrupter in his face. He quickly put his hands up, dropping his helmet. "Damn it Hayley, its me, Zaylen," he announced.

Hayley lowered her weapon, letting out a sigh of relief. "Sorry, it's just that…"

He walked over to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I know, you can never be too safe," he paused. "But, I did get what we wanted," he told her, putting out a small device, handing it to her.

Hayley paused slightly, taking the device from him, taking a look at it. It was no smaller than a cassette box, but had wires sticking out of either end of it. "Are you… I mean, are we sure this is the only way?" she asked him.

"You told me yourself, if Atom had been stopped before his creation, none of this would have happened. Stopping him will safe countless lives, save the future…" he paused. "Save my parents," he sighed.

"Your parents were one of the greatest rangers I ever worked with, but I theres something you should know about them. They were..."

"It does matter Hayley, as long as they're safe. I'll go back and stop all of this from happening," he told her.

"But they..." she was cut short again.

"Whatever it is, I'll deal. If they're alive, nothing else matters to me."

"But you're not looking at the whole picture. What if you go back and make things worse? What if you going back in time gives him access to technology he wouldn't have had? Then, even if you are successful, you will cease to exist. You've done a lot of good, saved a lot of people. Tampering with the timeline only leads to more trouble than its worth, I don't think you should do this," Hayley told him.

"Hayley, I…" he paused. "Get down!" he screamed, shoving her to the side and grabbing his weapon, firing behind her. The beam connected with a drone, forcing it to explode on impact.

"That was close, another second and I…" before she could finish her sentence, another drone snuck up behind Zaylen, stabbing him in the side with a sword. As he fell to the ground, Hayley picked up his weapon and fired at the drone, destroying it. "Oh no, Zaylen," she cried, tending to him.

"Its not as bad as it looks," he pulled the sword out slowly, and within seconds, the wound began to heal. "I have to go Hayley, I have to do this," he insisted.

She sighed, nodding slightly as she walked over to her equipment, looking the device up to a small panel. "You need to know that this is one way. I barely have enough power to get you there, much less back. And, the timeline is a tricky thing, there's no way to know if you'll end up in the right time or not. You could end up there a week before it happens, or a year after it happens. Theres no way to be sure," she warned him.

"I know the risks Hayley, just do it."

"Subspace buffers are online, phase sequencers are functional, and the temporal field modulators are…" she was cut short.

"Save me the techno babble, just do it," Zaylen said.

"Good luck," she sighed, pressing a button. Within seconds, a portal opened.

Zaylen glanced back, nodding at Hayley, then stepped inside, and disappearing…

* * *

_next time on Virtual Force_: **Beginnings** _- Patrick and Jen prepare for their first day back to school, a stranger makes his way to Reefside, and a former ranger returns. _

* * *


	2. Beginnings

**_Disclaimer:_** _Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. If I do, I promise to donate the money to one of those foundations that prevent animal cruelty. By the way, no animals were harmed in the production of this series… well, except that gerbil, but hes fine now. I swear._

**_A/N:_** _This takes place a few months after Power Rangers Virtual Force. While it's designed for you to be able to read it without reading the first one, it wouldn't hurt to brush up on your history before checking this one out._

* * *

**Reefside, California August, 2005 AD**

* * *

"You sure you wanna do this?" she asked him.

Patrick stood across from her, no more than four feet away. The sun was beginning to set, but managed to shine through the trees, giving the appearance that the leaves themselves were glowing. There was a brick wind in the air, sending a slight chill down both of their spines, but both of them refused to move.

"I've been waiting months to do this," he told her.

"Fine, lets go."

"Okay, before we…" he was interrupted as she rushed at him with a kick. He managed to catch her foot and push her backwards. She did a flip, landing on her feet and going for a sweep. Patrick did a back flip of his own to avoid it, but while in mid air, she kicked him in the back, sending him tumbling over.

She punched downward at him, but he rolled out of the way, wrapping his legs around her ankles and tripping her. As she fell to the ground, Patrick got back to his feet, rushing at her with a spin kick. She ducked it, and as he spun around, kicked him in the back of the leg, forcing him down to one knee.

"You can always quit now while you're ahead," she taunted.

"I'm not done with you yet," he warned, grabbing her and flipping her over his shoulder. She kicked up, hoping to catch him in the head, but he caught her foot, got back to his feet and spun her around. She flew a few feet, landing up against the metal gate.

"Wanna play hardball, do you?"

"I came to win," he told her.

"Fine, have it your way," she said, forming a small ball of energy in her hand, throwing it at him. He did a flip to avoid it, but as soon as he regained his footing, there was another one coming towards him. He ducked it, forcing the ball of energy to hit a tree behind him.

"You missed."

"No, I didn't," she said.

Before he had a chance to make a move, there was a tree falling towards him. He extended his hands in front of him, and a bolt of lightning shot from the sky, splitting the tree in half, with a part of it on either side of him.

"Okay, my turn," he said.

The sky began dark, and bolts of lightning began to come from the sky. She managed to avoid the first few, but the last one was much too close. She managed to form a shield of dark energy around her, but the lightning was enough to destroy it.

Patrick shot another bolt at her, but it was countered with a ball of dark matter, causing an explosion that knocked both of them backwards. Both fell to the ground, but got back to their feet, rushing at one another.

She went for a chop, but he caught her arm. She responded by dropping to her knees, using her free hand to grab his ankle and knock him off balance. Before he could get back to his feet, she shot a beam of dark energy from her eyes, catching him in the shoulder.

"That's new," she said cheerfully.

"You're not the only one with tricks," he admitted as his eyes lit up.

There was a gust of wind that snatched her off the ground, sending her spinning in the air. She tried to form a ball of energy, but the wind was too strong for her. Finally, his eyes stopped glowing, and she fell to the ground, falling hard in front of him.

He leaned down to help her up, but as she grabbed his hand, beams of energy shot from her eyes again, knocking him into the air and over the gate. He fell to the ground, holding his back in pain.

"I'm done playing with you," she reached behind her back, pulling out her morpher. "LOG ON! VIRTUAL UPLOAD, RANGER MODE!!" she called out. There was a blinding flash of light as her black ranger uniform replaced her clothes.

"Oh, you wanna break out the hardware. Alright, if that's the way you want it," he said as he reached behind his back, grabbing his morpher. "LOG ON! VIRTUAL UPLOAD, RANGER MODE!!" he called out, quickly transforming into the green ranger.

Before either of them could make a move, her father walked over to them, stepping in-between them.

"What do you two think you're doing?" he snapped.

"Training!" they said in unison.

He looked around, ensuring no one was looking. "You're using your civilian powers in public, morphing in plain site. What part of _secret_ identity didn't you get?" he asked them.

"Sorry daddy," she sighed.

"Get in the house Jennifer, we'll discuss this later," he turned to Patrick. "And you, I expected more from you. Jennifer is only fourteen and…"

"Fifteen," she corrected.

"Fine, _fifteen. _She may not understand the importance of keeping your identities safe, but _you_ should. Go home Patrick, I'll deal with you another time," he said.

"Yes Mr. Coulborne," he sighed.

* * *

Jen stormed into her room, slamming the door behind herself. It had been months since she, Patrick and the other did what they had to do to save the world and trap Thoron in the demon dimension. Since then, a lot had changed for her. Having her father move back into the house was probably the most dramatic change in her life; having to get use to have him around again had proven to be a lot harder than she thought it would be. 

She and her father were both rangers, giving them something they had in common, but he felt the need to be overprotective of her… sometimes much more than he needed to be. She'd proven herself to be responsible and capable of dealing with things on her own, and while she did recently celebrate her fifteenth birthday, he felt the need to treat her as if it was her fifth.

"POWER DOWN!" she said, quickly changing back to her civilian clothing, flopping down on the bed.

As soon as she did, her bedroom door opened. Before it could open all the way, she threw a ball of energy at it, just enough to close it back.

"Ever heard of knocking?" she snapped.

The door opened again, and her father walked in. "What have I told you about using your powers like that in public?" he asked.

"I was in the backyard dad, I was fine," she told him.

"That isn't the point. These powers aren't to be played with. They're not a toy and they shouldn't be taken lightly. They were given to you so…" he was interrupted.

"They weren't _given_ to me, I got stuck with them. That damn vortex warped my DNA and now that damn chip on my neck makes sure my powers don't kill me," she told him.

"Watch your tone young lady! These powers are yours to help people, not to play in the backyard with your little boyfriend," he paused, taking a deep breath. "I know it's been a while since you were called to action, but that's a good thing. Now that Ethan is gone on his internship, Hayley has been by herself working on the temporal enhancer. There are no forces of evil for you to fight right now, which means you shouldn't be using your powers," he walked over to her, taking her morpher. "And there's no reason for you to be walking around with this all the time," he told her.

Jen's eyes lit up, and dark energy surrounded her morpher, allowing it to float back over to her. "I'm not a kid anymore dad, I can handle myself. My morpher stays with me at all times because you never know when I might need it," she put her morpher. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to get ready for bed. In case you forgot, I start school in the morning," Jen informed him.

He looked at his watch. "We'll discuss this again tomorrow when you get home," he said, walking out the room and closing the door behind himself.

* * *

"I don't know what else to do with that girl," he snapped, slamming his fist down on the kitchen counter. 

"Oh Anthony, she's a big girl and capable of making her own decisions. It took a long time for me to see it, but she is," she said.

"But she's my daughter, I…"

"She's my daughter too, and I've learned to trust her. She saved me, she saved you. She saved the world. I think she's entitled to a little more freedom," she said.

"I guess you're right, but I…"

"I am right, trust me. She starts school tomorrow, but I've talked to the principal and special arrangements have been made for Jen. A special teacher is being brought in, someone who will understand her need to leave all of a sudden," she paused. "If the need ever came up."

"You're taking this a lot better than I thought you would," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"I just remember being trapped in that hell dimension, wondering if you'd ever be able to understand why I did what I did. When I finally did escape, I discover my daughter is a ranger and some creature possessed you. A lot as happened since I was away, but I'm determined that nothing will break up my family again," he explained.

She walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him. "I know you mean well Anthony, but our little girl isn't a little girl anymore. She'll be fine. Besides, its not like she'll be alone. If something does happen, she'll have help," she assured him.

* * *

The sun had completely set, being replaced by the sun. The wind was getting stronger, and there was a chill in the air. A young woman walked towards her car, the only sound she heard were her heels hitting the pavement and her keys jingling in her hand. 

She was a few inches away from her car when a man in a hood approached her. "Nice night, ain't it?" he asked in a low, raspy voice.

"A little chilly for my taste," she confessed.

Just then, she felt something pressing up against her back. It wasn't a gun, she observed, it was something sharp. The man who originally approached her was standing in front of her, and based on the sounds she heard, there were at least two other people behind her. "Just have over your wallet and no one has to get hurt here," one of the strangers said.

"You don't wanna do this," she sighed.

"Oh trust me lady, we do," another one responded.

"Okay, have it your way," she said, quickly spinning around. As she spun, she grabbed one of their arms and pushed it forward, sending it through the window of her car. Before he could react, kicked the second man, knocking him forward. The third man charged at her, but a chop to the throat slowed him down.

The first man regain his composure and rushed at her, but she side stepped him and gave him a leg trip, sending him down to the ground face first.

"I tried to warn you, but…" before she could finish her sentence, one of them pulled out a gun, aiming it at her and firing.

"WATCH OUT!!" a voice called out. It all happened so quickly, but when it was over, the man with the gun was running away, and there was another stranger on the ground covered in blood.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" she asked, rushing over to him.

"F-Funny, I was g-gonna ask you the same thing," he mumbled.

At first glance, he was an older man, as indicated by the long facial hair. His clothes were dirty and torn, and he looked as though he hadn't eaten a good meal in weeks.

"You took a bullet for me, you saved me," she told him.

"Don't worry about it, just…" a sharp pain rushed through him, stopping him from finishing his sentence.

"I have to get you to a hospital," she told him. "My name is Alyssa. Alyssa Enrile. What's yours?" she asked him.

"I don't know," he sighed.

* * *

_next time on Virtual Force: **Fun times at Reefside High** - Ethan accepts an internship with a famous scientist, school starts and Hayley makes a discovery_

* * *


	3. Fun Times at Reefside High pt I

**_Disclaimer:_** _Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. If I do, I promise to donate the money to one of those foundations that prevent animal cruelty. By the way, no animals were harmed in the production of this series… well, except that gerbil, but hes fine now. I swear._

**_A/N:_** _This takes place a few months after Power Rangers Virtual Force. While its designed for you to be able to read it without reading the first one, it wouldn't hurt to brush up on your history before checking this one out._

* * *

**Reefside, California August, 2005 AD**

* * *

He opened his eyes slowly, only to find himself in a hospital room of some kind. He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through his shoulder, forcing him to lay back down. There was still a bit of disorientation, blurring his vision slightly, and the throbbing pain in the back of his head wasn't helping matters either. He tried to recall the events leading up to him ending up there, but his mind was a complete blank. The only thing rushing through his mind was blurred images and jumbled phrases, none of it making any sense to him. The last few months for him had been disconcerting. He had no knowledge of who he was, where he was from, or what he was supposed to be doing. The only thing he did have was a sense that he was meant to do something, that his purpose was much higher than he realized. "_But what?"_ he wondered.

Just then, he heard voices, but he wasn't sure if they were in his head, or if someone was actually in the room with him.

"From what I can tell, he is suffering from malnutrition. If I had to guess, he hasn't had a decent meal in weeks, possibly months. He lacks iron and his blood pressure is low. The X-ray revealed multiple fractures in his shoulder, ribs, arm, both legs and lower back, but without proper treatment they healed on their own… but some of them will never heal properly. I don't know what this man has been doing or how he's survived so long, but to say it's a miracle wouldn't be doing it justice," a voice explained.

"Will he recover?" another voice asked.

He recognized that voice. It was so soft, so gentle, and though he wasn't fully aware of everything going on, he could hear the concern in his voice.

"Whatever is holding this man together will allow him to make a full recovery. He'll have to wear braces on both his legs to allow the fractures to heal correctly, but everything else seems minor. The best thing for him right now is plenty of food and a lot of rest."

"I'll see that he gets it."

"According to the reports, you don't know who this man is," he brought up.

"No, but last night I was attacked and he helped me. I feel obligated to make sure he's okay," she said.

"He had no ID, no identifying marks of any kind?"

"No. None."

"Well, he certainly is lucky to have someone like you looking out for you. Our city reports over one thousand homeless turn up missing or dead each year. If not for you, this man may have been another statistic."

"_Homeless? I'm homeless?" _he wondered to himself. "_Well, it does explain a lot,"_ he sighed.

"H-Hello?" he mumbled, taking almost all of his energy to do so.

"Oh my God, he's awake," the female voice said. His vision was still blurry, so he couldn't see anything, but he did feel the warmth of someone's hand on his forehead, then someone grab his hand slightly. "Are you alright?"

He tried to speak, his mouth moved, but nothing came out.

"Save your strength, you need it. I don't know if you remember, but you saved my life last night," the voice said.

His mind quickly flashed to the incident in question. There were robbers, several of them, trying to steal from a woman on her way to her car. As he recalled, she was holding her own, so to claim that he saved her life was a bit of an exaggeration.

"I-I…" he was cut short.

"You were shot in the shoulder last night. I brought you here. The doctors say you'll be fine, but you need to rest," she glanced down at her watch. "I have to go, I start my new job today, but I'll be back later on today to check on you, okay?"

"O-Okay," he groaned.

He felt her lips press against his forehead before she walked away, and he slowly drifted out of consciousness again.

* * *

"Come on mom, California? With all the crazy stuff that goes on around here, you didn't think another state would have been better?" Estel asked her, folding her arms as she leaned up against the wall. 

"Reefside High is a perfectly good school. You'll do fine there. Besides, its not like you're a student anymore," she assured her.

"I'm sure the school is fine, I'm talking about this place. California ranks an 8.5 on my weird shit-o-meter. Giant monster attacks, big robot battles, I even read rumors on the internet about a vampire slayer living in Sunnydale. This entire city is an accident waiting to happen," she brought up.

"You can't believe everything you read on the internet. This city was ranked number five in the country's safest cities. Besides, the power rangers protect the city, what could possibly go wrong?"

"Um, how about giant monster smashing buildings and the rangers have to call on Voltron or whatever the hell they call that big robot to fight it. I see the news, I see the cars getting stepped on, the buildings that get destroyed. I'm surprised there's a building in the city left standing after all the fights that go on here."

"You're making a big deal out of this for nothing. I'm sure everything will be fine."

"Okay, its all fun and games until Megatron steps on our house. Then what?" Estel asked.

"Aren't you late for work?" her mother asked.

Estel glanced down at her watch. "I prefer to call it fashionably late," she pointed out.

"That's not a very good way to start your first day at a new job, is it?"

"Its just a teaching assistant job, if they ask why I was late, I'll just say there was a monster attack in the warehouse district or in a rock quarry. Have you noticed that every city in California has a rock quarry?" she mentioned.

"Just go Estel."

She sighed. "With my luck, I'll get turned into a cardboard cut out by some evil clown dude," she said.

"What?"

"My friend Sophie said it happened to her once over in Angel Grove. I bet…"

"Just go Estel," her mother repeated.

"Okay, you'll see. Weird stuff happens around here, and when it does, I'll be the first to tell you I told you so."

break

Patrick pulled up in front of the school, putting the car in park, and then turning to her.

"Good luck," he said cheerfully.

Jen glanced out the window at the school, getting a good look at it. Somehow, it seemed much smaller than it did last year. There were still students all rushing back and forth, heading inside the building, but this time around it wasn't as intimidating as she remembered it.

"I wish we could have at least one class together," she sighed.

"I'd love to, but…"

"I know, I know, you're a senior now. Why do you have to be so much older than I am?" she asked.

"Its only three years. When I'm one hundred you'll be ninety seven and we'll both be so wrinkled no one will be able to tell the difference," he told her.

"Yeah, but when you were three I was _born, _we would have made a hell of a couple back then," she mocked.

"All that matters is that we make a good couple now," he leaned over, kissing her warmly on the lips. "Now lets go in there and learn all those useless facts that you'll never apply in any real life situation," he said.

"When you put it like that, it sounds so exciting," she groaned sarcastically.

"Try to contain your excitement. You can head on it while I park."

"Maybe I'll bump into you in the hallway," she said.

"I do, I promise not to totally ignore you for my older, much cooler friends," he told her.

"Whatever gayfer!" she said as she opened the car door and stepped out, closing it behind herself.

* * *

"Come on mom, you can't do this to me. This my senior year for God's sake, I have a…" he was cut short as his mother walked over to him, folding her arms. 

She didn't have to say a word, the look on her face said it all. There was a void, monotone expression on her face, and that expression (or lack thereof) spoke volumes. "Paolo," she sighed.

"Don't _Paolo_ me mom. I have my hands full this year. Senior trip, I just a job done at Hayley's Cyber Space, senior dues, not to mention…" he was cut short again.

"It won't hurt you to show your cousin around. He's going to need you," she said.

"But mom, I don't have time to hold hands with this guy. I just want to…" he was interrupted again.

"Paolo," she repeated, this time frowning slightly.

He sighed, realizing it was a losing battle. "Fine, where is the little brat?" he asked her.

"Upstairs in his room getting ready. If you get him now, I can drop you off on my way to work," she mentioned.

"So now only do I get to escort my goofy ass cousin around for my senior year, I get to pull up on the first day of school in my mom's station wagon. Yep, its official; my social life is dead," he told her.

"Just go get your cousin," she instructed.

Without a word, Paolo rushed out the room, heading upstairs.

* * *

As Paolo walked into the room, he found his cousin sitting in front of the computer. 

"We're going to be late for school because you were up here playing some online game?" he snapped.

"Well, I…"

"I don't know how you guys do things in your country, but…"

"Sorry mate, I…"

"What the hell did you just call me?" Paolo asked.

"Um, a mate?"

"Save all your fancy lingo for your friends in England while you're sippin' tea," he paused. "Mate sounds like we're a gay couple or something," he sighed. "Come on, lets just get this over with," he sighed.

Parmy rushed over to the bed, picking up his book bag and tossing it over his shoulder. "I'm very excited. Going to school with my favorite cousin in the states, just being in the states is an adventure," he told him.

"Yeah whatever, lets just go."

"You think we'll get to see the Power Rangers today?" he asked. "Maybe a monster attacking the city or something?"

"If I'm lucky, a zord will step on you and solve all my problems. Then again, my mom will find a way to blame me for it," he said.

Parmy walked over to him, putting his arm around Paolo. "Cheer up old chap, this'll be fun," he told him.

* * *

To say that that Dr. Howard Fritz was a genius would be a severe understatement. He graduated from high school at ten years old, and by his fourteenth birthday, had gotten his masters degree in not only science, but in computer technology. All of his professors agreed that one day, Howard Fritz would go on to do great things, and now, he was convinced that time had come. 

He'd only been at Mercer Industries for two years, but had worked his way up to department lead in charge of development. That didn't make him very popular with the other scientists and employees there, but there was no denying that his theories were sound, his methods were proven and his results were nothing less than impressive.

He sat in front of a monitor in his lab, going over the last of the readings from his latest experiment. He'd been working on it for months; losing countless hours of sleep, but he was convinced that it would all be worth it. Next, he glanced down at the writing on his clipboard, comparing it to what he'd seen on the screen… and the results seemed promising.

"I think I'm ready over here Ethan," he said with a touch of excitement in his voice.

Ethan, who'd been more than eager to work alongside someone with the reputation of Dr. Fritz, hurried over to him, handing him another clipboard. "Are you sure about this doc? I mean, if it works, this will…" he was cut short.

"This could be the cure for cancer, for the common cold, for AIDS itself. Nano technology is the future my young intern, and you will be here to witness the dawning of a new era in mankind," he told him.

"The simulations have all worked at 99 efficiency, but I can't account for the 1 percent variance I keep getting," he said.

Dr. Fritz smiled. "Don't worry about that, it's the way they were designed. The Nano-probes are designed to learn as they go, evolve so to speak. They will continue to accumulate data, using it to perform even the most complex problems and solve them without being programmed to do it. Each one will be smarter than the last, and working together, will be able to enter the human body, repair or even remove harmful bacteria and cure them. It's a marvelous theory, and it will change the way the world deals with injuries," he explained.

Ethan's look of excitement turned to one of concern. "Have you tested this?"

"Of course. We've run several experiments on disease-ridden rabbits, and within minutes of the nano-probes being injected, the cells causing the disease were pinpointed, isolated and removed from the rabbit safely. I'm pleased to report that Mr. Hop-a-lot survived the procedure and there were no traces of anything ever being wrong with him," Dr. Fritz assured him.

"I just have concerns about this. I mean…"

"I know what you're feeling Ethan, because I felt it too. All my life I was told my theories were based on a science fiction show than real life, that the things I were capable of doing sounded more like Star Trek than actual scientific practices, but I've proved them wrong," he turned to Ethan. "Do you know why I picked you of all the people who applied for my internship program? Because I read your application, and you know what its like to have your theories be looked down on even when you _knew_ what you were talking about. I knew I wanted someone like you by my side when the time came. And today my friend, we make history," the doctor told him.

Ethan nodded with approval. "I believe in you Dr. Fritz, lets do it."

Dr. Fritz picked up a needle, holding it up slightly. "Inside this needle is over 10,000 nano-probes, all of them programmed with what they've learned from the rabbit, all of them ready to search and destroy any virus that may infect the human body. The theory is that they will be able to repair any damage done and leave the host not only one hundred percent healthy, but even better than they originally started," he said.

"So who or what do you plan testing it on? The board will never approve human testing, not this early in the testing phase," he pointed out.

"Of course not, why is why I have something else in mind," he walked over to the middle of the room, where they was an examine table with a white sheet over it. He quickly pulled back the sheet, revealing a human body. "This will suffice nicely."

"But sir, he's human."

"He's been dead for over eight hours now. He died of natural causes, I assure you. The nano-probes should be able to find what caused his death and repair it. It won't bring him back to life, but it will give us the results we need to present to the board. With the data we get from our John Doe here, the board will have to approve human testing of the probes," he told him.

Ethan nodded. "Okay, lets do it."

The doctor picked up the needle, slowly injecting it into the body, then paused. "Any minute now, we should be able to pick up some kind of tissue regeneration," he told him.

The two of them glanced over at the equipment, but nothing.

"Are you sure the probes are active?" Ethan asked.

"Not only are they active, they should be self replicating. We should have seen results by now," he said.

"Maybe the damage to the body is too far gone, maybe the probes can't repair the cells."

"Perhaps you're right, but without this data, the board will never approve my funding, and we'll never be able to move to the next phase of the experiment. I'm afraid its back to the drawing board my young intern," the doctor sighed, quickly pulling the sheet back over the body. "I'll call the morgue, have them pick up the body."

"Don't worry doctor, we'll figure out what went wrong," Ethan said as the two of them walked out the room.

As soon as the door closed, the body sat up, opening its eyes to reveal an eerie red glow. "We… are alive," it groaned in a deep, mechanical voice.

* * *

_next time on Virtual Force_: **Fun Times at Reefside High pt. II** - The rangers lose one of their own, and now they must unite to combat a new evil.

* * *


	4. Fun Times at Reefside High pt II

**_Disclaimer:_** _Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. If I do, I promise to donate the money to one of those foundations that prevent animal cruelty. By the way, no animals were harmed in the production of this series… well, except that gerbil, but hes fine now. I swear._

**_A/N:_** _This takes place a few months after Power Rangers Virtual Force. While its designed for you to be able to read it without reading the first one, it wouldn't hurt to brush up on your history before checking this one out._

* * *

**Reefside, California August, 2005 AD**

* * *

It was an interesting… sensation, to say the least.

There was almost a slight hum as the nano probes did their work, coursing through the veins of, who, less than five minutes ago, was lifeless. He glanced down at his arm, moving his fingers slightly in an attempt to master his motor skills. Next, the other hand. Then, his eyes; blinking several times just to find out if he could. Thousands of probes swarmed through his body, each of them replicating along the way, all of them performing the task they'd be programmed to do. Each time one of them replicated, the next was a little smarter, a little faster. They were learning as they progressed forward.

These were processes the probes were not familiar with. They'd been designed to seek out damaged cells and repair them, but this? This was new, different, and they were unsure on how to proceed.

"We are… alive," a voice said.

It wasn't until several seconds later that even the probes recognized that they had generated the voice. Groups of the probes had broken away from their original design, finding their way into the brain. Once there, began to not only repair any damage they found, but get a better understanding of the human brain and its functions.

They slid off the examining table, and again felt a new sensation as their feet touched the floor.

"Cold," they murmured.

They glanced around, trying to become familiar with his surroundings. Everything seemed familiar, but it was as if things were no longer as big as they once were. They walked over to a table slowly, where a needle sat next to some files. They reached out, picking up the needle, and within seconds, accessed their program files. The needle had been their storage center, for lack of a better term, where they were left until needed. Somehow, the long, slender glass needle didn't seem very big.

Suddenly, a new sensation washed over them. Looking at the needle, how small and confined it was… the probes realized something. They did not desire to be placed back in the needle. Their new storage center was mobile, active, had the ability to transport them from one place to other. It was able to speak, and with time, would be able to do even more.

At that moment, the door to the lab opened as Dr. Fritz walked in, searching for a folder. When he eyes caught a glimpse of a man who, when he brought in to the lab, was dead, it was enough to make him step a step back, taking a second to come to terms with what he saw.

"You were…" he paused as he slowly realized what happened. "The probes, they must have…" he allowed his sentence to trail off as he took a step forward. "For this to work, they would have had to self replicate at an alarming rate, almost more than…" he stopped again. "Do you recognize me?" he asked.

They stared at him with a blank, emotionless expression.

"I am Dr. Hector Fritz, your creator. I created you," he told them.

"Creator," they repeated.

Dr. Fritz nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, creator. I assembled the first nano probe, perfected the technology, taught you how to replicate yourself. You are, in a sense, my son. You're the first, the only, you represent the best hope for the human race," he paused. "You will be able to end suffering, to cure disease, to bring peace to the entire planet. There is no limit to what you're capable of doing. Do you understand me?" he asked.

"Best hope," they repeated, still uncertain about a great many things.

"You're the first of what will be a long line of people. You will be the template by which all men are fashioned from this moment on. You're a modern day Adam," he said proudly.

"A-Atom."

Dr. Fritz smiled. "I suppose that _is_ more fitting. Atom it is," he turned around, glancing out the door. "We have to get you out of here. The world isn't quite ready for you, and you need to prepare," he said, removing his lab coat and putting it around Atom, who, before that, was completely naked.

"Prepare," they said.

"Yes, yes, prepare. There are books for you to read, information to process. I'll have to take a blood sample from you to analyze. By now, there must be billions of probes in your blood stream," he said, picking up the needle.

The sight of the needle was enough to make Atom take a step back. The data storage units embedded into each of the probes clearly recalled being in such a small, confined space, and none of them wanted to go back.

"No," they said.

"What is it Atom? I only want to…" as he leaned in closer with the needle, Atom reached out, grabbing Dr. Fritz by the neck. Not realizing how much pressure it used, Dr. Fritz' neck snapped, and his lifeless body fell to the floor. The needle fell out his hand, shattering as it hit the ground as well.

Atom glanced at their hand, then down at Dr. Fritz… their creator. He was no longer functioning; there was no movement at all. The probes stored the image of their fallen creator into their storage units as they removed the rest of his clothing, putting them on.

"We will end suffering, cure disease, bring peace to the entire planet. There is no limit to what we are capable of doing," they said.

It was what their creator wanted from them, it was what they were designed to do. And though the creator was no longer functioning within normal parameters, they would carry out his request.

"We are the first in a long line of people. We are the template by which all men are fashioned from this moment on. We are a modern day Atom," they paused slightly. "Yes, yes… Atom."

* * *

"Welcome to the first day of the rest of your lives. My name is Principal Randall, and for the next nine months, all of you belong to me. Truancy will not be tolerated. Insubordination will not be tolerated. Unnecessary talking in the halls will not be tolerated," 

"Apparently fun of any kind won't be tolerated," Jen mumbled, getting a giggle out of the class. The teacher motioned for him to be quiet as the morning announcements continued.

"We are looking forward to a productive school year, and there will be a lot of activities made available to the student body this semester. That will be all. Enjoy your day."

When the announcement was complete, the teacher stood up, standing in front of the class. "Good morning everyone, I'm Ms. Enrile, and this is remedial English. All of you are in this class because last year, your English grades weren't so great, and the school felt you would benefit from a class like this one. The good news is, pass this class with flying colors and not only will you be up to speed with other classes, but I've pulled a string or two and this will also count as college credit, for those of you who plan to continuing your education," she motioned to her left to Estel, who was leaning up against the chalkboard. "This is my teaching assistant, Estel. This semester, we'll pretty much be covering everything you learned last year as a refresher course, helping you brush up on areas that may not be your strong point. Once I know where each of you are in terms of proficiency levels, we'll be able to move forward. If you finish most of your class work, I rarely give out homework, but sometimes it will be necessary for you to take some work home. You'll find that my teaching method is a little out of the ordinary, but it works, and all of you will have a better grasp of the English language when we're done. Are there any questions?" she asked, then glanced around the room waiting for a response.

"Aren't you a little young to be a teacher? I mean, you look like you should be in this class, not teaching it," someone said.

Ms. Enrile walked over to them with a smell on her face. "And your name is?"

"Parmy," he said eagerly.

She smiled at him. "Thank you for the compliment Parmy, but I assure you, I'm old enough to teach this class. You'll find that not only will you learn while you're in here, but you'll have a little fun too," she said.

"Sounds smashing!" Parmy told her.

Ms. Enrile turned to Estel. "Estel, could you grab those folders off my desk and pass them out to the class for me?" she asked.

"You got it Ms. E," she said, picking up the folders.

"In these folders are the answers to the mid term and eventually what will be your finals. The catch is, none of you know the questions yet. While you'll have all the answers, that's not what I'll be looking for. I'll be grading you more on grammar, punctuation, spelling and what I feel is your overall grasp of the English language," she paused. "Tonight, when you get home, I'd like you to write a biography. It should be typed, double spaced, and no less than ten thousand words," her announcement got disappointed and angry sighs from the class. "You can write it on anyone you want, anyone at all, but it has to be well thought out, well organized and well put together," she explained.

"Don't you think that's a bit much? Ten thousand words?" Jen blurted out.

"Not at all. Some of the best writers ever published weren't able to convey themselves or their message properly without using at least three or four times that," she said.

"Well that's great if I planned on writing steamy romance novels, but I'm not interested," she said.

"Interested or not, this is the assignment. I want it to my specifications by this time tomorrow," Ms. Enrile told her.

* * *

"Man, that new English teacher is a bitch. I can't stand her skinny 'I want it to my specifications' ass," Jen said, slamming her locker door. 

"Oh relax, she can't be that bad," Paolo mentioned.

"You weren't there. This bitch is crazy. I'm going to do to Principal Randal today and see about getting transferred out of her class. She sucks," she told him as the two of them walked down the hall together.

"I'm sure it's not as bad as you think," he assured.

"I think Ms. Enrile is a charming woman," Parmy said, chiming into the conversation.

"Your opinion and fifty cents won't buy me a cup of coffee kid," Paolo sighed.

"Who is this?" Jen asked.

"My cousin."

"Where is he from?"

"England. His parents sent him here for…" he paused. "Why the hell did they send you here?" he asked.

"Mum felt I could benefit from being around my American cousin," Parmy said.

"So, you're here to get on my nerves? Great," he sighed.

"I don't know, he's kinda cute," she paused. "You know, in that Steve Urkel, looks like the kid who gets his lunch money taken everyday kinda way," Jen said.

"So, you fancy me then?" Parmy asked.

"Fancy?" Jen turned to Paolo. "What did he say?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think he knows half the time. I've got to get to my paleontology class, I hear that guy is a hard ass too," he paused. "I'll see you at work tonight, right?" he asked.

"Nope, I'm off tonight, but me and Patrick will probably come in for some pretzel sticks and a smoothie or something," she said.

"Okay, see ya then."

* * *

"Hey Hayley, you here?" Patrick called out as he walked into the lab, looking around. 

There was no sign of Hayley, and almost all at once, he knew something was wrong. He hurried into the back room, but she wasn't there. Still a little unsure, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

"Hello?" a voice answered.

"Hey Trent, is Hayley there?" he asked.

"No, she said she was going to be in the lab all day. Said she wanted to try something."

"Okay, thanks man."

"You got it. See ya."

He slid his phone back in his pocket, then headed over to the computer, where there was an icon blinking. Patrick sat down, clicking on the icon, and an image of Hayley appeared on the screen.

_"If you're watching this video, it means that my attempt to reopen the vortex and save the other rangers has failed. Its been months, and we're still no closer to perfecting the temporal enhancers, so I decided to open a vortex and search for my sister and missing rangers myself. By the time any one views this, I'll already be gone, and there's a good chance that I won't make it back. To my rangers, I know you wouldn't have done any less for a member of your team, so understand that I had to try to find my sister. You'll find that I've left upgrades to your morphers, allowing you to access a new armor mode and make new weapons available to you. These are a failsafe just in case opening the vortex lets something else through to our dimension. The upgrades are fairly easy to install, so you shouldn't have a problem with them. Please remember that I love you both, and with any luck, I'll be back not only with the other rangers, but my sister. Good luck, and may the power protect you,"_

"Damn it Hayley," Patrick sighed as the image faded.

His first thought was to crank up the temporal enhancer, find Hayley and bring her back, but he had no idea how it worked or what to do with it. Even if he did, he was alone, and if something else were to come through, he was in no position to fight it. He glanced around, spotting a metal box sitting on the table across from him.

He opened the box only to find four morphers inside, and two small data cards; one was black and the other was green. "Hmmm, I wonder which one of them is mine," he joked, picking up the green card, observing it. "Where am I suppose to put it?" he wondered, pulling out his morpher and examining it. He was shocked that he hadn't noticed a small opening in the bottom of the morpher before, just big enough for the data card. He quickly slid it in, and it beeped, confirming installation. "Four more morphers Hayley? What are these for?"

That aside, he still needed to figure out whos morpher he'd found at the rock quarry. Hayley had been nice enough to send him on some random mission to find an energy source, stirring up old feelings about being at the quarry to begin with. He set the morpher in a small panel next to the computer, and then turned to the monitor.

"Scanning," the computer announced. "Estimated time of completion: 4 days, 9 hours, 56 minutes and 12 seconds,"

"Damn, Hayley should have switched to Comcast High Speed," he sighed.

* * *

"Okay, lets go over this one more time," the officer said. 

"I told you everything I know," he paused. "Dr. Fritz and I were working on an experiment together, it didn't really work out. We left the lab, I got in my car, and Dr. Fritz told me he'd left some papers in the lab and he was going to grab them. That was the last time I saw him," Ethan explained.

"What kind of experiment was it?"

"It was a test of the nano-technology he was working on," he said.

"Did the doctor have any enemies that you knew of? Somehow who wouldn't want this experiment to be a success? Someone who would profit from his murder?" he asked.

Ethan shook his head. "Dr. Fritz was highly respected by everyone he worked with. I can't think of anyone who would want to do this to him," he sighed.

"Thank you for your time. If you can think of anything else, no matter how small, give us a call," the officer said as he handed Ethan a card, then walked away.

Ethan watched as the brought Dr. fritz' body out of the lab in a body bag, loading it into the coroners truck. There were police everywhere, an ambulance, and members of the news media, all of them trying to find out exactly what happened. Ethan was determined to find out what happened to Dr. Fritz, to find out who killed him and have them brought to justice.

"It's a shame, isn't it?" a voice asked.

Ethan turned slightly as Anton Mercer walked over to him.

"Yes, it is."

"I'd known Hector for years. He was a brilliant man, and he will be missed," he turned to Ethan. "I don't know if you know it or not, but he thought highly of you. In the little time you two worked together, he'd come to think of you as the son he never had. I know you're not thinking about this right now, but to be honest, I need someone like you running this place. I'd like to offer you Dr. Fritz' old job," he said.

"But Mr. Mercer, I'm not nearly as…"

"I know, you're just getting back from your tech program and you're still a little wet behind the ears, but Dr. Fritz thought the world of you, and felt you were the only person who could continue his work. I think its what he would have wanted," he said.

Ethan paused. "Thank you sir, I'd be honored."

"There's no rush. I plan to closing down all our businesses for the day to attend Hector's funeral. You can start fresh next Monday," he told him.

"Thank you sir."

* * *

_next time on Virtual Force: **In search of..**. : Hayley searches for her sister and the other missing rangers, Atom begins to learn more about himself, and a former mentor returns._

* * *


	5. In Search of

**_Disclaimer:_** _Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. If I do, I promise to donate the money to one of those foundations that prevent animal cruelty. By the way, no animals were harmed in the production of this series… well, except that gerbil, but hes fine now. I swear._

**_A/N:_** _This takes place a few months after Power Rangers Virtual Force. While its designed for you to be able to read it without reading the first one, it wouldn't hurt to brush up on your history before checking this one out. This 'episode' begins originally in 'Effect and Cause'._

_Thanks to everyone who was patient with me while I got things together in my personal life. Now, its smooth sailing until the end of the series. Then again, 'smooth' may not be the proper term. Rest assured, the series will be updated regularly again.  
_

* * *

**Reefside, California August, 2005 AD**

* * *

_Earlier…_

Ethan quickly tossed his bag over his shoulder. "I'll give you a call when I get there, okay?"

She nodded slightly. "Okay, be careful."

"Careful? What's the worst that could happen?" he asked.

"Um, the forces of evil could kidnap you _again_ and try to force you to kill your friends," she brought up.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, I'll be careful," he promised her, walking out the room.

Hayley waited until Ethan was gone completely before she walked over to the opposite side of the room, setting up her video camera. Once it was in place, she turned it on, and then sat down in front of it. "If you're watching this video, it means that my attempt to reopen the vortex and save the other rangers has failed. It's been months, and we're still no closer to perfecting the temporal enhancers, so I decided to open a vortex and search for my sister and missing rangers myself. By the time any one views this, I'll already be gone, and there's a good chance that I won't make it back. To my rangers, I know you wouldn't have done any less for a member of your team, so understand that I had to try to find my sister. You'll find that I've left upgrades to your morphers, allowing you to access a new armor mode and make new weapons available to you. These are a failsafe just in case opening the vortex lets something else through to our dimension. The upgrades are fairly easy to install, so you shouldn't have a problem with them. Please remember that I love you both, and with any luck, I'll be back not only with the other rangers, but my sister. Good luck, and may the power protect you."

Hayley stood up, walking back over to the camera and turning it off. She knew that if she attempted to contact either Patrick or Jen about it, they would either try to talk her out of it or risk their lives to go with her. She couldn't allow that. '_Too many other rangers have sacrificed for this. Not again, not if I can help it,'_ she told herself.

She reached in the box on the counter next to the computer, taking out a morpher and putting it on her wrist. It was altogether different from the morphers she'd designed for the rangers, based loosely on the Zeonizer Tommy showed her when they first met. The morpher was a last resort, a precaution just in case she ran into anything once she entered the vortex. There was no way to be sure what she would find when she got there; all she did know was that she'd done her best to lock on to any energy signatures that were close to the output of a standard morpher. With any luck, it would lead her straight to the rangers… to her sister.

Hayley activated the temporal enhancer, then stood back… waiting to see what would happen.

"_Scanning…" _the device announced. "_Estimated time of completion: 9 hours, 4 minutes and 52 seconds."_

"Tommy was right, I should have switched to Comcast High Speed Internet," she sighed.

Hayley looked at her watch, realizing that the scan would take all night. She decided that the best thing to do would be to simply get a good night's rest, then enter the vortex in the morning.

"I'm coming Jody, I'll save you," she sighed.

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

Dr. Kat Manx stood in front of a computer monitor in the command center, going over readings. She was so involved in her work that she didn't hear the doors slide open, and Commander Cruger walk into the room.

"Dr. Manx, your call sounded urgent, what is it?" he asked her, standing behind her in an attempt to get a look at what she was working on.

"There is an energy signature coming from Reefside, it matches the configuration of the temporal enhancer we left there for Hayley Stanton. I believe shes trying to activate it and reopen a portal," she told her.

"Does it pose a danger?"

"The device itself is small, so only a portal small enough for one person will open, so at least we know nothing big stands a chance of getting through. The problem is that there are no targeting sensors installed. The portal could open anywhere," she said.

"In our first dealings with Ms. Stanton, she proved to be very intelligent. Perhaps she has found a way to modify the enhancer," he brought up.

"Maybe, but there is no accounting for everything in a situation like this. I don't know who she plans to sending in or what she plans to do, but we need someone there to keep an eye on things. If something goes wrong, we need to be able to intercept and stop it," she said.

"I agree, but only to an extent. Ms. Stanton and her rangers have proven to be a formidable unit, and its unlikely she would attempt anything without considering the consequences," he walked over to another panel, pushing a button. "We do have an operative in Reefside. We can make arrangements for them to observe the rangers and report their findings to us."

"But what if…"

"I understand and even appreciate your concern doctor, but SPD isn't even fully operational at the moment. We're in no position to mount a full-scale assault if something does get through. You'll just have to trust that Ms. Stanton knows what's she's doing and that her faith in her rangers isn't misplaced," he told her.

Dr. Manx sighed. "Okay Doggie, have it your way."

"I will contact our operative and inform them of the situation. Now if you'll excuse me," he said, nodding at her slightly, then walked out the room.

* * *

"Scan complete," the device announced. 

It was enough to wake Hayley from her sleep. She leaped up, rushing over to the device, looking at the readouts.

"This is perfect," she sighed, verifying her readings one final time. She'd gone over the readings a million times with Ethan, and even with Cam. All the simulations she'd run on the enhancer went perfectly, but she knew this one would be different. This time, it was the real thing, and there was no way to be sure what would be on the other side. Still, it was something she had to do.

Before she could activate the enhancer, an alert on her computer began to go off. She hurried over to her computer, getting a look at the readings. Her first instinct was to investigate it further, but she didn't have time. She was close to finding her sister, and she wasn't about to let anything distract her from that. With that in mind, she pressed a button, opening communications channels.

"This is Tempest Ranger, go ahead," a voice responded.

"Sorry to bother you so early Patrick, but I'm picking up a muffled energy signature. I was hoping you'd go check it out," Hayley said.

"_Sure Hayley, where is it?"_

"In the rock quarry where you and the others…" she paused. "Where the final battle happened. I know this is your first day of school, but…" she was cut short.

"I'll go check it out and let you know what I find."

"Thanks Patrick, and be careful."

She closed communications, then walked back over to the device. It was humming slightly, indicating that it was completely powered up. She checked the timing device on it again, ensuring that the software she installed was working correctly. She'd timed the device to charge up again, and then reopen in twenty-four hours, ensuring that regardless to if her mission was a successful one, she would have a way home.

"Okay, lets go," she sighed.

Hayley activated the enhancer, and within seconds, a vortex began to open. She took a moment to admire the silver, white and blue swirls as they spun, slowly getting bigger and bigger. She'd never taken the time to fully appreciate the beauty until now.

"May the power protect me," she sighed, stepping back, then jumping through the vortex.

She soon as she did, it closed, and the temporal enhancer began to smoke. "_Warning: timing mechanism malfunction, unable to re-establish link,"_ the device announced.

* * *

"Damn it Patrick, what is this about?" Jen groaned as Patrick, who had her by the arm, dragged her into Hayley's office. 

"You'll see," he replied, knowing that once she saw the video, she'd understand everything.

The two of them made it into the lab, and he forced her to sit down in front of the computer, then grabbed the mouse and moved it towards the blinking icon on the computer monitor.

"I don't have time to check my email Patrick, I have to get to work. I sent Paolo in the stock room to get more supplies and there's no one out watching the place. I have to hold everything together until Hayley gets back," she told him.

"Just watch," he said.

Just then, the screen blinked on, and an image of Hayley appeared.

"If you're watching this video, it means that my attempt to reopen the vortex and save the other rangers has failed. It's been months, and we're still no closer to perfecting the temporal enhancers, so I decided to open a vortex and search for my sister and missing rangers myself. By the time any one views this, I'll already be gone, and there's a good chance that I won't make it back. To my rangers, I know you wouldn't have done any less for a member of your team, so understand that I had to try to find my sister. You'll find that I've left upgrades to your morphers, allowing you to access a new armor mode and make new weapons available to you. These are a failsafe just in case opening the vortex lets something else through to our dimension. The upgrades are fairly easy to install, so you shouldn't have a problem with them. Please remember that I love you both, and with any luck, I'll be back not only with the other rangers, but my sister. Good luck, and may the power protect you,"

"Damn it Hayley," Jen sighed.

"That's what I said."

"So what do you want us to do about it? She made it pretty obvious that she doesn't want us to come after her," she brought up.

"That's crazy talk and you know it. Hayley needs us. Its our duty as power rangers to…"

"If you haven't noticed, we're not power rangers anymore. Sure, we have morphers and we're stuck with all theses abilities, but there is no big bad to fight, no world that needs saving. We had a duty, we did it, and its done. The best thing for us to do is to wait here until Hayley gets back. Its what she wanted."

"How do you know that?"

"If she wanted us to come, she would have invited us, and she certainly wouldn't have left us extra morphers," she walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm worried about Hayley too, but we can't go running off to save her. She's a big girl, she knew what she was doing."

"I guess you're right."

"Get use to it, I'm always right," she reached in the box, pulling out her data card, sliding it into the bottom of her morpher. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a café to run," she said, kissing him on the cheek, then walked out the room.

Patrick let out a reluctant sigh, and then walked out the room as well, closing the door behind him.

As soon as he did, the door to the extra storage room on the opposite side of the room opened slowly as Paolo stepped out with a box in his hand. "Those guys are the power rangers?" he sighed.

* * *

"So, how was your first day?" Ms. Enrile asked as the two of them walked down the hallway together. 

"It was… boring, actually. You hear about this town on the news or read about it in the paper, and every other day there's some kinda monster attack or apocalypse threatening to destroy the world, but as soon as I get here it the whole place just gets boring. Where are the power rangers? Where are the villains looking to enslave mankind? If I wanted dull, I could have stayed home and watched Lost," she said.

"Enjoy the quiet now while you can Estel. Something tells me it won't be quiet very much longer," she sighed.

"Good, I'm dying for some action."

"I'll see you tomorrow, I have to run by the hospital to visit a friend," she said.

"Alright Ms. E, see ya."

"Please, just call me Alyssa," she sighed, walking away.

As soon as she walked away, there was a beeping sound. Estel glanced around, making sure there was no one around, then walked behind one of the buildings. Once she knew the coast was clear, she pulled a small device out her back pocket.

"This is Estel, go ahead."

"_We have detected an energy source coming from Hayley's Cyber Space and another one near an abandoned factory. We need you to investigate," _a voice said.

"I'm good and all, but I can't check both of them. Not by myself at least."

"The readings at Cyber Space are our main priority. Our readings indicate that both the rangers are there as well. Go there, find out what you can and report back to me as soon as possible."

"You got it Doggie," she slid the device back in her pocket. "Finally, some action."

* * *

It accessed the data logs from historical time periods, coming to the conclusion that he had arrived somewhere in the year 2005. From the looks of the buildings, the color of the sky, and the smell in the air, it was long before the meta-chemical explosion that destroyed countless millions of lives. 

"This will serve us nicely," it said, surveying the area.

Originally, it had been successful in assimilating most of the world, bringing it one step closer to the wishes of the creator. There were obstacles in its way, but ultimately, the world was at peace. Now, it had traveled back in time before a point the wishes of the creator were known, and without the power rangers to try to stop it, carrying out the creator's wishes would be even easier.

Still, Zaylen was there as well, and would do anything in his power to stop it from carrying out its goal. Of all the rangers in the future, Zaylen had been the biggest thorn in its side, constantly interfering with plans to bring the world to peace. It didn't take long for it to realize… now that it was in the past, to eliminate Zaylen completely; it would only have to eliminate his parents before he was even born. If the parents were destroyed, Zaylen would cease to exist. Logic dictated that destroying them would prevent resistance, but to do so would create a paradox. It originally traveled back in time to prevent Zaylen from interfering with history, so to destroy his parents and preventing Zaylen from existing would mean that it never traveled back either. Thus, a paradox.

With that in mind, it decided that the most reasonable course of action would be to find Zayley here and now, eliminate him and use the technology available to it to bring the world closer to what the creator wanted for them.

"This world will know peace, even if we have to destroy Zaylen every living thing on the planet to do it," it said.

* * *

Hayley glanced around the room with a puzzled look on her face, unsure of what just happened. She appeared to be still in her office in the café. Her equipment was still in place, and everything was just how she left it. 

"What went wrong?" she asked, turning to the equipment to take a look at it.

Before she could, there was an explosion, and half of the wall collapsed to the ground. There was smoke and dust everywhere, making it hard for her to see anything. She tried to look around, to figure out what was going on, but almost from out of nowhere, a giant hand reached out, grabbing her and picking her up. Almost all at once, she knew exactly who it was… and it sent a horrifying chill down her spine.

"Thoron," she sighed.

* * *

_next time on Virtual Force:_ **Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?**: _Alyssa tries to help her friend regain his memory, Patrick is reunited with an old friend and Atom prepares to carry out his creator's wishes._

* * *


	6. Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?

**_Disclaimer:_** _Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. If I do, I promise to donate the money to one of those foundations that prevent animal cruelty. By the way, no animals were harmed in the production of this series… well, except that gerbil, but hes fine now. I swear._

**_A/N:_** _This takes place a few months after Power Rangers Virtual Force. While its designed for you to be able to read it without reading the first one, it wouldn't hurt to brush up on your history before checking this one out. This 'episode' begins originally in 'Effect and Cause'._

_Thanks to everyone who was patient with me while I got things together in my personal life. Now, its smooth sailing until the end of the series. Then again, 'smooth' may not be the proper term. Rest assured, the series will be updated regularly again. Also, keep your eyes glued on to see extended 'episodes' of this series._

* * *

**Reefside, California August, 2005 AD**

* * *

The large spherical ball of light in the sky was beginning to descend, and the once blue sky was navy. There was, however, a point in the sky where the clouds were intersecting the spherical ball, giving off a mixture of different colors.

Atom watched with curiosity, unclear to the spherical balls function, or why it was no longer performing it. There were things about its environment that eluded it, even things about itself, but the creator endowed it with the ability to learn, adapt, and assimilate. "_Best hope for mankind."_ The words of its creator seemed to repeat through out its memory subroutines. All it knew about mankind was what it had assimilated as raw data given to it by the creator. Though incapable of human emotion, there was a part of it that was aware of the absence of its creator. "_Why is the creator motionless? Why does he not assist us?"_ it wondered.

The memory subroutines were interrupted when, approximately sixty kilometers away, it heard a familiar sound. It quickly ran through all known sounds compiled in its database and determined that it was the sound of a human female screaming. It quickly went through a list of potential reasons for a human female to scream; enjoyment from sexual intercourse, when startled by something unpleasant, or, in most cases it studied, when the female was in jeopardy.

It recalled, in every instance referenced by the creator, when a female was in jeopardy, someone should assist her.

Atom glanced around, surveying the surroundings. There were no other humans present in the area. In the distance, the human female screamed again, and Atom came to the conclusion that if there were no humans present to assist the female, it would have it.

It began to walk towards the original location of the scream, eventually coming to a long, dark alley. Though there was very little light, Atom's optic implants made it capable for it to see. The woman in question was lying on the ground, attempting to cover herself from a man standing over her. The man had a small bag of some kind in his left hand, and a metal object, perhaps a weapon, in the other.

The woman caught a glimpse of Atom, who was simply watching the situation unfold.

"Help me, please!" she called out.

The man turned around, getting a look at Atom. "What the hell are you looking at ya' bastard?" he snapped.

Atom quickly referenced _bastard_ in its database, and felt that the man's use of the word was inappropriate and misplaced.

"Help her," it answered.

"You think _you_ can stop me ya silly bastard?" he asked.

"Stop you."

"Fine then hero, have it your way," he said.

The man aimed the metal object at it and, within seconds, smaller projectiles came from the object, all of them connecting with it's chest. It was an… interesting sensation to say the least, but without further study, Atom was unable to determine what the sensation was called. The man watched in amazement, unsure of what to do next.

"What the hell are you?"

"We are mankind's best hope. We are Atom," it responded.

"Help me please, he's trying to kill me," the female informed him.

Atom approached the man, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him up. "We are mankind's best hope for peace," it told him.

Before it could put him down, it heard a snap, and it realized that the human male's neck was no longer straight, quite similar to the creator. Atom simply put him down, then approached the female.

"Help you," it said, extending its hand to her.

The female took its hand, making it back to her feet.

"I don't know who you are, but thank you. You saved me. That creep was going to…"

She was interrupted as Atom noticed a scar on the woman's face. "You are injured?"

"Oh yeah, a little but…"

"You are suffering?"

"Just a little, but I'm okay."

"We must put an end to suffering, it is what the creator wanted," it told her.

"The creator? Look man, I don't know what you're…" she was interrupted as Atom grabbed her by the throat and began to apply pressure. Soon, it heard the all too familiar snap, and the female collapsed to the ground.

"You will suffer no more. We are the best hope for mankind. We are Atom," it said, walking away slowly.

* * *

Estel cautiously walked through the alleyway behind the café, using a small scanning device in an attempt to track down the source of the temporal anomaly. The device itself was no bigger than a cassette box, making it very easy to conceal as she scanned.

When Commander Cruger originally approached her with the idea for working for SPD, she was against it. She had no experience in being an operative of any kind, and SPD informed her that there was no real time to train her for the job. For the first few months, she did her best to carry out her orders, but in most cases wasn't really sure how to go about it. As the missions continued to come her way, the more complex they got. Now, headquarters had her scanning for temporal anomalies, but she had no idea what to do if or when she found one.

"_Estel, report,"_ a voice said.

Estel reached in her back pocket, pulling out a communication device. "I'm in the alley behind the café, and there are definitely some odd electromagnetic readings coming from the sound end of the building, but these readings don't make any sense. According to this, there are Borosynthien lifeforms in the building," she informed him.

"_Borosynthien? Are you certain?"_

"Come on DC, I can barely pronounce Borosynthien, you think I would have said it if I wasn't sure?"

"_Fair enough. If there are Borosynthien lifeforms inside, everyone in there is in great danger. They do not exist in this realm of space, and will quickly attempt to absorb energy from any humanoid being it comes in contact with. They travel in packs, usually six to eight of them. You have to get in there and neutralize them."_

"Sure, I'll just pull the anti- Borosynthien creature cannon out of my butt and take care of it for you," she mocked.

"_You do not have to defeat them, only prevent them from finding an energy source. They cannot exist in our space would that power. Simply hold them off until they die naturally," _he said.

"I'll do what I can, but don't you think this is a job for the power rangers?"

"If the rangers are unaware, they won't know what to do to stop them. Your primary mission should be to destroy the device used to bring them to this reality, then defeat the creatures that have already come through."

"Does that mean I get two paychecks?"

"Time is of the essence. Contact me when you have completed the job. Cruger out."

"Yeah, easy for him to say," Estel sighed.

* * *

"You'll have to excuse the mess. I just moved in and I haven't had a chance to unpack everything," Alyssa warned him as she opened the door, allowing him to step in.

"Its nice," he told her. He walked in slowly, getting a good look the place. There were boxes still piled up against the wall and papers scattered across the coffee table in the livingroom. "Thank you for allowing me to stay here, I…" he was cut short.

"Don't mention it, it's the least I can do," she said.

He walked over to the end table, picking up a picture. "Who is this with you?" he asked her, getting a look at it. "You're husband?"

"Husband? No, that's my friend Cole. We use to… work together a few years ago," she told him.

He noticed the uncomfortable tone in her voice. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," he said.

"You didn't, its okay. I just haven't talked to Cole or any of my other friends in a long time," she paused. "Would you like something to drink?"

"A synthale if you have it," he said.

"A what?"

"He paused. "I… I'm not sure. It was just the first thing that came to mind," he said.

"It could be a clue about your real identity. Do you have any ID, a wallet maybe?" she asked.

"The hospital gave me back all my personal belongings," he removed the bag from over his shoulder, handing it to her.

Alyssa sat on the couch and began to search through the bag for something… anything that could help them. "Not much in here. A comb, a nail clipper, a pair of…" she paused. "Gross, why are these in there?" she asked, holding up a pair of his underware.

He blushed. "Sorry."

"It looks like we're not going to…" she paused, pulling a small device of some kind out of his back, staring at it.

"What is it? It looks familiar to me, but I don't know why."

She wiped away some of the dust, getting a better look at it. "Oh my God, it's a morpher," she sighed.

* * *

"And that's the last of them," Jen said as she let out the last customer, locking the door behind them. She leaned up against the door and slumped down, taking a sigh of relief. "Honestly I don't see how Hayley does this everyday."

Patrick walked over to her, helping her up and wrapping his arms around her. "It wasn't so bad. Besides, you had Paolo here to help," he mentioned.

Paolo, who was only a few feet away wiping off a table, looked up and nodded. "Happy to help," he said, then went back to his work.

"I better get in the back and count down the register," she paused. "Damn, I'm going to have to drop the deposit off at the bank on my way home. You feel like taking me?" she asked.

"Sure, why not?" Patrick answered.

She leaned up to kiss him, but stopped when she heard a loud crash coming from the back room. "What was that?"

Paolo put down his towel, taking a step forward. "It could be my goofy ass cousin in the bathroom. He's british, there's no telling what he's doing in there," he brought up.

Just then, there was another crash.

"I don't think that's your cousin Paolo," he paused. "I think it came from the stock room. I'll go check it out," Patrick said.

"Be careful," she warned.

Patrick walked towards the door cautiously, but before he could open it, it flew open on its own as a creature emerged from the back room. At first sight, it appeared to be a dog, but much bigger. Its fur had a transparent glow to it, and its drool was a dark, green color.

"I thought this place had a strict no pets policy," he mentioned.

"Its not mine," Paolo said, taking a step back.

"How about that one? Or that one?" he asked as two more creatures came out the back, each of them with eerie yellow eyes.

"I'm more of a cat person really," Jen sighed. She was prepared to use her powers to help Patrick fight it off, but hesitated because Paolo was only a few feet away from her. Not only did Hayley and her father mention it to her several times the imporantance of keeping their secret identity a secret, but so did Ethan. '_Still, what good is a secret identity if we're all dead?' _she wondered.

"Um, Paolo, maybe you should…" he was cut short.

"If this is the part where you guys try to get me to leave so you can transform into the power rangers, skip it. I know," he said.

"You what?"

"This isn't exactly the time to talk about it, is it? Lets deal with these guys first," Paolo said.

"Deal, but when this is over, you got some 'splainin to do Lucy," Patrick said jokingly.

Patrick and Jen nodded at one another, then reached behind their backs, pulling out their morphers.

"LOG ON! VIRTUAL UPLOAD, RANGER MODE!!" they called out in unison, instantly transforming into the power rangers.

"Awesome, you guys really are the power rangers," Paolo sighed in amazement.

One of the creatures lunged at Spectra Ranger, but she fell back, using its momentum against itself, throwing it up against the wall. It hit the wall with a thud, but was quickly back on it's feet, rushing after her. She hit a roundhouse kick, taking it down, but another one jumped on her back. Tempest Ranger was right there, landing a side kick that knocked it away, but two more of the creatures came from out the back room.

"I don't like the numbers here," Spectra Ranger sighed.

Tempest Ranger created a gust of wind, knocking all of them across the room, but one of the creatures charged at him. He sidestepped it, and then called for his sword, slicing it in half. The two parts of the creature fell to the floor and a thick, green fluid dripped from the open wounds, but within seconds, both halves began to grow new halves, creating two more creatures.

"Okay, that was a bad idea."

"Ya think?" Paolo asked.

"Well I don't see you doing any better," he pointed out.

"Watch and learn," he said, picking up a mop, breaking it over his knee.

One of the creatures charged at him, but Paolo spun around, hitting the creature in the face with the end of the mop as it went by. Another one came after him, but he ducked, and as it went over his head, Paolo rammed the end of the mop into its gut, forcing it to fall over in pain. A third one came after him, but he did a back flip, landing on the edge of the bar, forcing the creature to hit its head on the bar itself, knocking it out.

"Not bad."

"Maybe you guys should give _me_ a morpher," he mentioned.

"Whatever Pa…" she was interrupted as three more creatures ran out of the back room, charging at Paolo. One of them knocked him over and stood on his stomach. Paolo used what was left of the mop to stop it from biting him, but wasn't able to get the creature off him.

"Um, a little help?"

Tempest tried to make a move, but two of the creatures jumped him, pinning him down to the floor. Spectra Ranger called for her sword, but two other creatures attacked her, pushing up against the wall. She tried to use her powers, but the beams seemed to go right through it.

"This isn't working," she sighed.

At that moment, the creature holding Paolo down went flying across the room, crashing through the window of the café. Paolo looked up as Estel stood over him with a piece of the mop in her hand.

"Thanks, I…" he was interrupted.

"Hold that thought," she said as she threw the mop at the creature holding Spectra Ranger power. It pierced through the skin of the creature, forcing it to fall over. The two creatures holding down Tempest Ranger turned around and raced towards her, but she pulled a small device out her pocket and turned it on. All of the creatures began to howl out in pain, eventually falling to the floor and dissolving.

"What just happened?" Tempest Ranger asked.

"It operates on higher frequencies that the normal human can detect, but it sure pisses those guys off," she told them.

"That's great, but who the hell is suppose to clean up this mess?" Spectra Ranger asked.

"I'm more concerned with who you are," Paolo said.

"My name is…"

"Estel," Tempest Ranger said, taking a step forward.

She paused, turning to him. "Do I know you?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, we go way back," he paused, slowly removing his helmet so she could get a good look at him.

"Patty Cake?" she squealed.

"Stella!" he said, wrapping his arms around her.

"What part of secret identity aren't you getting Patrick?" Spectra Ranger asked in a jealous undertone.

"Its okay, Estel and I are…" he paused, trying to pick his words carefully. "We go way back," he said.

"We dated a while back. He had it bad for me during his freshman year, it just didn't work out," she said.

"You dated my teacher's assistant?" Spectra asked.

"You're in my class?"

"POWERDOWN!" Spectra said, returning to her civilian clothes.

"Oh my God, you're that loud mouth girl from class today. Ms. E seems to think you have potential… boy, she has no idea," Estel said.

"Geez, I might as well just get a shirt that says 'Hey, I'm a power ranger,'" Jen sighed.

"What? You're a power ranger?" Parmy asked as he walked out the back room zipping his pants. "That's bloody awesome!"

Jen sighed. "Is there anyone in this damn city that doesn't know?"

"From the looks of it, they might as well," a voice said.

The five of them turned around and watched as _he_ walked into the room.

"Ethan!" Jen said eagerly, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around him.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were…" he was cut short.

"Dr. Fritz is dead, and if I'm right, we have a serious problem on our hands. Its going to be more than the two of you can face alone," he paused. "Which is why it's going to take all five of you."

"The _five_ of us? Huh?" Patrick asked.

"What? One fight with some oversized Cujos and all of sudden they get morphers and secret decoder rings?" Jen snapped.

"We get decorder rings too?" Parmy asked eagerly.

Jen sighed.


	7. Explainations

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. If I do, I promise to donate the money to one of those foundations that prevent animal cruelty. By the way, no animals were harmed in the production of this series… well, except that gerbil, but hes fine now. I swear. _

**_A/N:_**_ This takes place a few months after Power Rangers Virtual Force. While its designed for you to be able to read it without reading the first one, it wouldn't hurt to brush up on your history before checking this one out. This 'episode' contains portions of "In search of". _

* * *

**Reefside, California 2005 AD**

* * *

Hayley activated the enhancer, and within seconds, a vortex began to open. She took a moment to admire the silver, white and blue swirls as they spun, slowly getting bigger and bigger. She'd never taken the time to fully appreciate the beauty until now. 

"May the power protect me," she sighed, stepping back, then jumping through the vortex.

Hayley glanced around the room with a puzzled look on her face, unsure of what just happened. She appeared to be still in her office in the café. Her equipment was still in place, and everything was just how she left it.

"What went wrong?" she asked, turning to the equipment to take a look at it.

Before she could, there was an explosion, and half of the wall collapsed to the ground. There was smoke and dust everywhere, making it hard for her to see anything. She tried to look around, to figure out what was going on, but almost from out of nowhere, a giant hand reached out, grabbing her and picking her up. Almost all at once, she knew exactly who it was… and it sent a horrifying chill down her spine.

"Thoron," she sighed.

Hayley struggled to get free, but without success. She could fell his grip tightening on her, the air been squeezed out of her body. It was only a matter of time before she passed out completely, which was probably a good thing, she speculated. _'At least that way I'm unconscious when this thing eats me,'_ she thought.

At that moment, there was another explosion. It was enough to fill the entire area with smoke, making it hard for Hayley to see. Suddenly, Hayley felt herself falling to the ground, but was still caught in Thoron's grip. She hit the ground with a hard thud, and as the smoke cleared, she saw someone standing across from her with a sword in hand. She was still a bit disorientated, but she was able to make out who it was.

"Jody?" she sighed.

The woman nodded slightly, then turned back to Thoron, rushing at him with the sword. She managed to cut right through his leg, forcing Thoron to stumble over. With Thoron down, Jody turned to Hayley.

"We only have a minute before he regenerates. We have to get out of here," she said, reaching out to her.

Hayley accepted her hand, getting back to her feet. "J-Jody? Oh my God, I thought I would never…" she tried to wrap her arms around her, but Jody stopped her.

"We don't have time for this. We have to go now," she insisted.

"Go where? I came here to save you."

"Save me? I'm not going anywhere, not until we clean up the mess you made. Now come with me, or feel free to stay here and let him rip you apart. You always were stubborn," she said, turning and walking away.

Hayley dusted herself off, still unsure as to what was going on or why, but decided it was best to follow.

* * *

"So, lets start at the beginning," Ethan said as he walked behind the counter. The five of them sat on the opposite end of the counter, all of them giving him their undivided attention. "Dr. Fritz had been working on nano technology at Mercer Industries. His theory was that he could program these nano probes to enter a damaged cell and repair it, allowing the person to live a normal life. It was, in essence, the cure for every disease that has ever plagued mankind."

"Let me guess, something went wrong," Jen chimed in.

"Actually, no, it went _right. _The doctor and I injected a corpse with the probes as our first human experiment. The idea was that the probes would seek out the damaged organs, attach themselves to it and repair it. They did they're jobs, but went a step beyond what the doctor had in mind. The probes were not only able to repair the body 100 percent. The doctor called it the birth of a new hope for the human race, the first of what would be become the template for the next step in human evolution. He named it Atom, but Atom's first act was to kill the doctor," he explained.

"You mean this dead guy is alive now?" Paolo asked.

"More like living dead. I'm not going to speculate if this thing has a soul or not, or what its intentions are, but I know there is a being of unbelievable strength roaming the streets and has the mental capacity of a two year old child. There is no telling how much destruction this thing will do if we don't stop it," Ethan said.

"So how do you propose we kill it? I mean, its already dead. If we try to kill, won't the nano doohickeys just regenerate?" Patrick inquired.

"In theory, they would. Truth is, I'm not sure. I'm going to be looking over the doctor's work, looking for a way to stop the probes from multiplying and eventually shut down the ones that are currently active. Its going to take time, but I think I can do it," he said.

"So wait… these things are multiplying?"

"Like gremlins?" Parmy asked eagerly.

There was a pause as the entire group gave Parmy an unsettling stare, then continued.

"The probes are designed not only to repair cells, but learn and multiply as they go. If, for example, a single probe was injected into a subject, within one hour it would replicate itself. The next one would be smarter, thus the ability to replicate even quicker. Within a day's time, it would have multiplied to close to thousands of probes," Ethan told them.

"How long ago was your experiment done? And how many probes did you inject it with?" Estel asked.

"The initial experiment started with ten probes, and that was over 36 hours ago. At that rate, there would be…" he was cut short.

"Thousands," Paolo sighed.

"Try tens of thousands. Not only are they growing in number, they're learning. Each one is smarter than the last, and all of them will be working together. Soon, nothing will stop it from accomplishing its goal," he said.

"And what is the goal exactly?"

"World peace," Ethan said.

"Whoa, what? You mean this guy wants to _help_ people?" Jen asked.

"Where's the bad there?" Paolo replied.

"The problem is that is has the brain capacity of a child. Its goal is to end suffering, and the only way it knows how is to destroy. It will continue to kill any and everything until the world is at peace, even if it that means we're all dead," he said.

"Well, that's certainly one way to solve our problems."

"So, what do you expect us to do? I mean, I don't know how long these guys have been rangers," she glanced over at Jen. "Personally, I don't want to see her in spandex at all," she quivered. "Eww, the image alone is disgusting," Estel groaned.

"I will beat the sh…" before Jen could finish her statement, Patrick grabbed her, pulling her back as she tried to go after Estel.

"We don't have time for this Jen," he said.

"Oh, there's plenty of time for me to rip this bitch a new one," she snapped.

"That's enough Jen, I mean it," Ethan took a breath as Jen sat back down. "The five of you are going to have to work together if we're going to stop this thing," he said.

"So what were those big slimy dog things?" Parmy asked.

"They're called Borosynthiens," he said.

"Boro…. Borosin…. Borocinnimons?" Patrick asked.

"Borosynthiens. They exist in the void between realities. I think that when Hayley opened the vortex, a few of them escaped through," he said.

"What I want to know is how this skinny bitch knew exactly what to do to stop them? Where did you get that little gizmo of yours?" Jen asked.

Estel paused, unsure of how to react. It was explained to her in great detail that she was under no circumstances to reveal that she was an operative for Space Patrol Delta, but given the current situation, she wasn't sure how she was going to get out of it.

"I um…" she was cut short.

"I gave her the device. I knew that the ultra high frequencies would be enough to disrupt their nervous systems and break down their molecular structure," Ethan said.

Estel glanced over at Ethan with a confused look in her eyes. He nodded slightly, and the two of them tacitly agreed to discuss the situation later.

"So what's to stop these uber mutts from coming out the vortex again?" Patrick asked.

"Its over now, I disabled the pattern buffers on the temporal enhancer. Nothing else will be coming or going through," he said.

"Wait…" Jen stood back up. "What about Hayley? Are we going to leave her in there?" she asked.

"We have no choice. If we reopen the vortex, there's no telling what else will come through. Next time we might not be so lucky," Ethan said.

"I'm sick and tried of leaving my friends in alternate dimensions. There's no telling where she is, if she's in pain, if she's even alive. We have to do something and we have to do it now!" Jen snapped.

"The best thing we can do now is find a way to stop Atom. Hayley knew what she was doing and she knew the risks. There's nothing we can do for her now," Ethan said.

"How can you say that? She was your friend, _my_ friend. She did more for us than…" she was cut short.

"If you wanna go after her, be my guest. While you're gone, we'll be a ranger short and the entire world could be overthrown by Atom. If you do manage to find her and bring her back in one piece, you can bring her home in just enough time to get killed off by Atom," he walked over to her. "I miss Hayley too, I've known her for a lot longer than all of you, but we have to look at the greater good here."

"So its up to us to save the world, huh?" Paolo asked.

"Pretty much, yeah. Everyone go home, check in with your families and let them know you're okay. Tomorrow morning, meet me back here before the café opens," Ethan watched as each of them made their way out the room. Before Estel could leave, he grabbed her by the arm, holding her back. "I need to talk to you for a minute."

"What can I do for ya?" she asked him cheerfully, but with a hint of confusion in her voice.

Ethan waited until everyone else was gone, then closed the door behind them. "I know you work for SPD," he said.

"I what? With who? I don't know what you…"

"Drop the act. I know that's where you got that device, and its why I covered for you. SPD has operatives all over the place, monitoring what's going on. The fact that you're here means they're aware of Atom and want to stop him. They wanted you to play the double agent and find out what we know, but now, you're going to be working for me," he told her.

"What makes you think that even if I knew what this SPD is, I'd want to work for you?" she asked.

"Because if you don't, I'll tell the others what you're up to. Even more to the point, I'll call SPD and let them know your cover has been blown. They'll ship you out of here and back to Stone Canyon to observe special anomalies," he paused. "That is what they had you doing, isn't it?" he replied.

"How did you know…"

"Lets just say I have my sources. I'll let you stay on the team and work for me, even let you give SPD information, but in return I need to know everything they know. I know they mean well, but this is something I'd rather take care of myself," Ethan explained.

"I need some time to think about this," she said.

"I understand. Sleep on it tonight. If you're in, meet me back here in the morning. If not, we'll just do the best we can without you," he said.

Estel nodded, then walked out the room.

* * *

"What's a morpher?" he asked.

Alyssa sat in front of the mysterious stranger, unsure of what to think of him. She could hear the sincerity in his voice, the general curiosity in his eyes. She'd always been a good judge of character, and this guy had been nothing but honest with her from the moment they met. He risked his own life to save her, got himself shot in the process. In her heart, she knew he could be trusted, but there were some things about herself that she wasn't ready to reveal to him.

"A morpher is a kind of… device," she paused. "Its used for…" she paused again, allowing her sentence to trail off.

"What is it Alyssa, what's wrong?"

"I-I just don't…" she stopped. "Wait, what's this?" she asked, taking another look at the morpher. "It looks like a data storage unit, but its so small."

"What do you think is on it?"

"I don't know. From what I can tell, its equipped with a self contained holo emitter, I should be able to retrieve the information on it," she said, working on it slightly.

_'Denied,'_ a voice said, coming from the morpher.

"What happened?"

"It's coded. I think whoever put this emitter into the morpher did it with the intention of only one person being able to retrieve the information," she said, handing it to him.

"You think _I _can do it?"

"It makes sense. If its yours, you're probably the only one who can," she told him.

He took the morpher, following her instructions carefully and pressing the button. Within seconds, a holographic image filled the entire room.

_"I have to go Hayley, I have to do this," he insisted. _

_She sighed, nodding slightly as she walked over to her equipment, looking the device up to a small panel. "You need to know that this is one way. I barely have enough power to get you there, much less back. And, the timeline is a tricky thing, there's no way to know if you'll end up in the right time or not. You could end up there a week before it happens, or a year after it happens. There's no way to be sure," she warned him. _

_"I know the risks Hayley, just do it." _

_"Subspace buffers are online, phase sequencers are functional, and the temporal field modulators are…" she was cut short. _

_"Save me the techno babble, just do it," he said. _

_"Good luck," she sighed, pressing a button. Within seconds, a portal opened. _

_He glanced back, nodding at Hayley, then stepped inside, and disappearing… _

The image stopped, and the holograms disappeared.

"Oh my God, that was me," he sighed with amazement.

"That was intense," she stood up. "You're from the future, and you're here to stop something from happening. But what?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"I know Hayley, she works down at the café not far from here. Maybe should go talk to her in the morning, see if she knows anything about this," she said.

"We should go now, maybe she can…"

"Its late. There isn't anything we can do for the moment. Get some rest, and we'll head down there before the café opens," Alyssa said.

"Thank you for your kindness," he sighed.

"You're welcome. Goodnight," she said, walking out the room.

He laid down on the couch, closing his eyes and replaying the images he'd seen over and over in his mind. _'Am I really from the future? What was so important that I had to come back in time to stop it? Why can't I remember anything?' _he wondered. He slowly drifted off to sleep, knowing that in the morning all his questions would be answered.

* * *

"Will you please tell me what's going on here?" Hayley asked as she and her sister walked.

Jody, who had a monotone expression on her face, continued to walk, never looking back to acknowledge her sister. "The other rangers and I are here because you sent us here to find the Eyes of Thoron. We never did, and Demorielle captured us not too long after we arrived. Some of us managed to escape, and after a while, Demorielle herself disappeared," she said.

"That's because she came to our dimension. She's good now, and…"

"Good for her, but instead of solving your own problems, you sent Thoron here. He arrived here along with three of your rangers and damaged zords. Within seconds of them arriving, they were destroyed. The zords were damaged beyond repair, and radiation from your vortex prevented their morphers from working," she said.

"What? Destroyed? Thoron wasn't suppose to be sent here, the coordinates were set for a void between worlds," she mentioned.

"Van speculates that you didn't compensate for chronometric particles in the vortex, and you didn't take into account the radiation outputs of Thoron himself. The combination of those two elements reset your vortex for default, which is here."

"Van?" she paused. "Oh, my mean Vanessa Cambridge. She's alive?" she asked.

"Yes, but we're all that's left. After Anthony was killed, we…"

"Anthony? You mean Jen's father? He wasn't killed, hes in our dimension. He was instrumental in helping us beat Thoron."

That was enough to make Jody stop dead in her tracks and turn around. "You didn't beat him, you dumped your problems out on us. You sent us here to stop something and you had no idea what you were getting into. You left us here for dead, and for years we've struggled to survive. Then, once we finally escape, you drop that big bastard in our dimension."

"Years, it's only been…"

"Time moves differently here. Van suggests that for every six months in your dimension, two years go by here," she said.

"That means you've been here…"

"Almost three years now."

"I didn't know, I'm so sorry," she paused. "But, just come home. I came here to get you, we can leave."

"Leave? Run away from your problems. That's your answer for everything, isn't it? This world was doomed from the moment you sent Thoron here, and without us here, he'll destroy any and everything in his path. I don't know if you've noticed, but there are life forms here, and I won't leave them to die because I miss home."

"There are humans here?"

"Humanoids, yes. They were kind enough to help us we arrived here. I won't abandon them," Jody told her.

"I understand. Maybe I can bring the other rangers here to help you. I think we could…"

"No, we're going to do this on our own. You've helped enough. We've been able to determine that Thoron's power is very low. It takes him a while to regenerate, but the weapons we have aren't working. Our morphers are low on power and its almost impossible to maintain our morphed forms. Even at this point, it seems like defeating Thoron will be impossible," she explained.

"What if we concentrated on containing him rather than defeating him?"

"I'm not sending him to another dimension and dumping off my problems on another unsuspecting world."

"No, that's not what I meant. I still have all four of the Eyes of Thoron in my lab; we can use them to imprison Thoron the way they did thousands of years ago. It was something we wanted to pursue, but time didn't allow us to. I just need to contact Ethan and the others, and we'll…"

"Communication is impossible from here."

"That's where you're wrong. We've been able to perfect it since you've been gone. If we can get the Eyes here, we can trap him once and for all. All we need is…" she stopped.

"What? We need what?"

"We're doing to need Demorielle," Hayley told her.


End file.
